Gender Roles In A Thousand Splendid Suns

Historical information about the Setting: The major events in this book occurred in the last decade. After the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001, the lives of many Middle Easterners (Iraqians, Iranians, etc.) and South Asians (Afghans, Pakistanis, etc.) were changed. Many people, especially women, were brutally slaughtered for disobeying the Taliban, a terrorist group that worked closely with al Qaeda. Not only were the Taliban extreme religious fundamentalists, they were also strict with enforcement. The US and many other countries have tried to end these terrorist organizations, but they hurt a great deal of innocent people, which this book goes further in depth about. In these recent years, there has been great progression in basic rights for women, as well as men, which most likely could have never happened prior to this time.

Women in Afghanistan still have very little say and are still being mistreated. Women before the Taliban had rights and were able to work and go out like men. During the 1920’s and before the invasion in 1979 women had some rights. When the Soviets invaded in 1979 and the war started women’s rights started to go away. In 1996 when the Taliban took over women’s rights were completely pushed back.

Prior to the rise of the Taliban, life for women in Afghanistan was improving dramatically. In Laila’s father’s words, “Women have always had it hard in this country… But it’s true, it’s a good time to be a woman in Afghanistan” (Hosseini 121). Women were able to teach in universities and schools and even hold office in the government. However, once the Taliban came to power in 1996, women were stripped of their basic rights and practically ordered on house arrest.

Having the right to choose outfits, go shopping, and have fun with friends may seem like normal, everyday enjoyments. This is not the case for women in Afghanistan. For many people, the crisis of women's rights and the Taliban is an unfamiliar topic. It is so foreign, that it may seem unreal. Although it is strange to think about it, it is real, and it is happening to women in Afghanistan.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a real life depiction of the oppressed women of Afghanistan’s controlled existence. Since the beginning of Afghanistan’s history, women have been degraded and abused. Afghanistan’s women have endured such injustices as being married off as young as 13, not allowed to go to school, unable to leave home without a male escort, to name a few. Most noticeable was the fact that the women were required to cover their entire body, from head to toe, with a burqa.

Khaled Hosseini presents the struggle Afghan women go through every day by discussing honour, marriage and the place of women in society in Afghanistan.

Throughout Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, the reader observes many injustices committed due to the presence of the Taliban and cultural conflict in Afghanistan. One of the most concerning issues in Afghanistan is the mistreatment and inequality that women face on a daily basis due to Taliban mandates. Women in Afghanistan are treated as inferior beings to men and are unable to stand up for themselves due the laws the Taliban enforces. Hosseini uses the wives of Amir and Hassan, Soraya and Farzana, to represent the injustices to which women in Afghanistan are subjected.

“Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman” (Hosseini 7). The historical fiction novel A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, tells a story about two women, Laila and Mariam, who live in Afghanistan. They are forced into a marriage at a young age with a much older man named Rasheed. Throughout this novel, the author shines a light on the struggles the women endure while living in Afghanistan where they are not treated with the same respect as men. This novel explores a recurring theme of women versus society.

For as long as our society has existed, gender inequality has been a constant problem that plagues our lives. For a long time, women were heavily discriminated around the world, but generally, their situation has improved through time. Throughout the 19th century and most of the 20th century, western women were denied basic rights, including access to higher education, right to own properties, right to vote and run for office. (Ahmad) Yet, in many parts of the world today, not only are women not granted these rights, they are also heavily oppressed and abused. Khaled Hosseini’s novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, demonstrated this through two women, Laila and Mariam, and their life journey in the war-torn country of Afghanistan. To continue living,

The novel also highlights the last 20 years of Afghanistan and illustrates the shift in government to provide a closer look on the lifestyles of women in Afghanistan and focus on the challenges they face. A major theme throughout A Thousand Splendid Suns is sexism and the belief men possess complete control over their wives’ lives. The

The past several years in Afghanistan have changed the lives of Afghan women for the worse. The struggle of Afghan women started when the Taliban took over in the late 1990’s to early 2000’s. So many women are suffering from abuse, rape, and unwillingly marriage that they started secret women shelters. These shelters were made for women that could escape would have somewhere safe to stay. (Karishma Vyas).

In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, a picture of Afghanistan was shown during the time of war. The concepts Hosseini tried to promote in his novel are mostly of how women were seen during the years of the Soviet occupation, then the civil war and the Taliban dictatorship. The novel showed the drastic change in lifestyles, especially the lives of women, and what they went through in every aspect in their lives. Hosseini highlighted the horrors and terrors that a lot of women have gone through and the harsh treatments they faced in a war torn country like Afghanistan. Oppression and patriarchy are big themes Hosseini views in his novel, both political and personal.

– Since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001, women have gained political rights. The recently adopted Afghan constitution states that “the citizens of Afghanistan –whether man or woman—have equal rights and duties before the law.”

Today in the post –Taliban era, women still struggle with their rights. Resolutions were produced and rights for women have advanced since September 11th but in order to move forward, much work needs to be done. Hundreds of years of repression for Afghan women will take a lot longer than a few years to actually revolutionize. There is violence towards women that are not practicing traditions customs and fear retaliations from the Taliban. Customs are difficult to change as well as government policies. (Bora Laskin Law). In Afghanistan, religious and cultural values, politics, and an uncertain acting government have played a major part in the struggle for women’s rights.

Throughout the history of Afghanistan, women have played a significant role in trying to connect the divide within society. They work by connecting communities and individuals; thus working to change the narrative of peace building in a society where violence has long been considered a method of realizing interests. Afghan women have been fighting to turn the focus towards the fulfillment of peace and human rights. The inadequate support that these women receive and the distrust they experience, from fellow Afghans and the international community, has had an adversative impact on women’s inclusion in the peace process.